Lake	County	Acres	Max depth	Score
South Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	1,145	140 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Thomas Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	1,465	110 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Winchell Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	876	160 ft	49 out of 100 Lake Score
Ogishkemuncie Lakenear Ely	Lake	762	75 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Alton Lakenear Tofte	Cook	969	72 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Adams Lakenear Ely	Lake	475	84 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Gillis Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	616	180 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Amoeber Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	410	110 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
Crooked Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	244	66 ft	50 out of 100 Lake Score
Flour Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	330	75 ft	83 out of 100 Lake Score
Cherokee Lakenear Tofte	Cook	837	142 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
Duncan Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	477	130 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
Gabimichigami Lakenear Tofte	Cook	1,186	209 ft	48 out of 100 Lake Score
Spoon Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	256	85 ft	46 out of 100 Lake Score
Birch Lakenear Ely	Lake	836	34 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Alder Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	529	72 ft	63 out of 100 Lake Score
Peter Lakenear Tofte	Cook	282	120 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
Topaz Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	150	73 ft	50 out of 100 Lake Score
Vera Lakenear Ely	Lake	250	55 ft	43 out of 100 Lake Score
Newfound Lakenear Ely	Lake	643	45 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Takucmich Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	338	150 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Cherry Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	153	100 ft	61 out of 100 Lake Score
Bass Lakenear Ely	St. Louis	169	36 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Whitefish Lakenear Tofte	Lake	346	49 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
Moss Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	254	86 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
Sucker Lakenear Ely	Lake	393	31 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Indiana Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	143	31 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Phoebe Lakenear Forest Center	Cook	610	25 ft	51 out of 100 Lake Score
Partridge Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	118	80 ft	47 out of 100 Lake Score
Boot Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	197	83 ft	44 out of 100 Lake Score
Beth Lakenear Tofte	Cook	170	22 ft	48 out of 100 Lake Score
Hogback Lakenear Isabella	Lake	40	43 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Long Island Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	884	85 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Watap Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	199	45 ft	36 out of 100 Lake Score
Burntside Lakenear Ely	St. Louis	7,314	126 ft	87 out of 100 Lake Score
Sea Gull Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	3,958	145 ft	80 out of 100 Lake Score
Snowbank Lakenear Ely	Lake	4,655	150 ft	79 out of 100 Lake Score
Kekekabic Lakenear Prairie Portage	Lake	1,689	195 ft	62 out of 100 Lake Score
Four Lakenear Forest Center	Lake	611	25 ft	62 out of 100 Lake Score
Mountain Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	1,993	210 ft	61 out of 100 Lake Score
Quadga Lakenear Isabella	Lake	251	35 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Tin Can Mike Lakenear Winton	Lake	145	29 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Trout Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	127	56 ft	43 out of 100 Lake Score
Pine Lakenear Hovland	Cook	2,122	113 ft	69 out of 100 Lake Score
Low Lakenear Ely	St. Louis	316	40 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Three Island Lakenear Marcell	Itasca	250	66 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
Moon Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	148	30 ft	46 out of 100 Lake Score
Hustler Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	277	74 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
Gaskin Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	372	82 ft	41 out of 100 Lake Score
Three Lakenear Forest Center	Lake	904	37 ft	62 out of 100 Lake Score

Best Paddling Lakes by county

Counties with at least three qualifying lakes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best paddling lake in Minnesota?

South Lake in Cook County ranks first for paddling in this directory, followed by Thomas Lake and Winchell Lake. The ranking is computed from public data, so treat it as a starting point rather than a verdict.

How are these lakes ranked?

Each lake gets a paddling rank from Minnesota DNR records (size, depth, clarity, fish surveys, public access) and amenities mapped in OpenStreetMap. No visitor reviews are involved.